Pneumatic tool retaining means



July 5f 1932- J. L. MORAN ET AL 1,865,439

PNEUMATIC TOOL RETAINING MEANS Filed Nov. 16, 1951 Patented `luly 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN L. MORAN AND ALVIN J'. LEE, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR 0F ONE- FOURTH TO ROBERT MALCOM', OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AND ONE-FOURTH T0 FRANCIS E. P. WILDER, 0F SPOKANE, WASHINGTON PNEUMATIC TOOL BETAINING MI'MLNSy Application filed November 16, 1931. Serial No. 575,383.

Our invention relates to a safety device or retaining means for pneumatic tools and more particularly to means whereby the rivet-set or pneumatically actuated tool is reli tained in place at the end of the cylinder or barrel and its accidental dislodgement or escape prevented and the frequent .source of` annoyance or injury obviated. Y

`The invention also has for its vobject the provision of means which Will permit its` ready application to pneumatic tools at present in use, and Which Will also permit the rivet-set or tool proper to be readily removed when occasion requires.

The objects and advantages of our invenf tion Will be readily comprehended fromthe detailed description of the drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a portion of the barrel, with our improved attachment and a tool in side elevation. Y

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the barrel, as vie-Wed substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1. e

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section, taken on portions of the holding means in elevation.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the tool and our improved holding means, lremoved from the outer housing, illustrating the means in tool releasing condition.

In the particular exempliiication of the invention, a portion of the usual cylinder or barrel is shown at 10, which may be of the general construction employed for pneumatic operation of the tool. A tool is shovvn at 11, Which is provided with a reduced inner end or shank 12 adapted' to be inserted Within a housing or sleeve member 13 and to protrude into themuzzle 0r end of the barrel 10 as at a suitable'distance removed from the head of the tool, is provided With a shoulder or,

the line 3-3 of Figure 1, With the tool and.

shown in Figure 2. The shank 12 of the tool,

16, disposed longitudinally and terminating at their inner ends in the openings 17, which are off-set laterally or circumferentially of the housing and communicate with the elongated holes or openings 18.

As shown in Figure 1, the slots 16 extend to and terminate at the inner perimeter of the housing or sleeve 13 in order to receive the pins or lugs 15 of the barrel 10, While the holes 17 and 18 are removed from the inner enlarged end 19 of the housing 13. The inner end of the housing or sleeve 1'3 is radially enlarged so that slots or grooves 16 Will be in alignment With the openings 17 and of depth suflicient to permit passage of the pins or lugs 15, Which protrude beyond the circular plane of the main Wall of the housing or sleeve 13 and Will therefore protrude into the openings 17 and 18.

It is apparent therefore that the housing 13 may be telescoped or inserted over the end of the barrel 10 by passing the pins or lugs 15 through the open ends of the slot or grooves 16 until the pins enter the holes 17, which permits partial rotation of the housing or sleeve 13 so as to position the pins or lugs 15 in the closed ended openings 18, thereby locking the sleeve 13 in place.

The outer end of the housing or sleeve 13 is provided With an end Wall 20, which has an opening 21 of size sufficient to permit the tool 11 With its shoulder or flange 14 to be endivisely inserted into place. The inner end of the tool 11 is guided and held in central position by the enlarged Wall portion 22 on the inner circumference of the barrel 10; the Wall 22 having an opening or passage 23 for the usual air operated plunger not shown. The reduced inner shank of the tool 11 is provided With our improved holding means which consists of a sectional ring 24, which, in the exempliiication, consists of two segmental sections or halves.

The composite ring 24 is provided with a circumferential groove 25 to receive a continuous contracting spring 26. The spring 26 is shown in the nature of a coil spring of normal circumference less than the circumference of the groove 25 When the ring sections are in abutting relation, in order that the ring sections will be constantly forced into abutting relation. The sectional ring 24 is made to fit the inner end 12 of the toolshank and therefore with the opening through the composite ring 24 smaller than the circumference of the shoulder or flange 14 on the tool shank.

The holding means also involves an annular member or disc 27 of diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the outer end of the barrel 10 so as to seat thereagainst as shown in Figure 3.

The disc 27 has an opening somewhat larger than the diameter of the shoulder or flange 14 so as to permit free passage of the flange 14 therethrough. One side of the disc 27 is pro-vided with an annular flange or hub portion 28, which is provided with tapered or wedge-shaped projections 29 disposed parallel with the axis of the disc and therefore parallel with the tool shank. As the ring 24 is shown composed of two sections, the disc 27 at diametrically opposite points is provided with two wedge-shape projecions'29, which are intended to be aligned with the junctures or abutting ends of the two ring sections.

The hub side of disc 27 provides a seat for one end of a coil spring 30; and the end of the spring 30 is preferably welded or otherwise immovably secured to the disc 27 as shown at 31. I

This spring 30 is interposed between the disc 27 and the sectional or composite ring 24 and has its other end immovably secured to the side face of one of the sections of the composite ring 24 as indicated at 32, so as to have the end coil of the spring in bearing or pressing relation with the other ring section.

The spring 30 normally tends to maintain the sectional or composite ring 24 and the disc 27 in spaced rela-tion as shown in Figure 3, namely with the wedge-points spaced from the ring-section junctures.

The sectional ring 24 is normally intended to encircle the tool shank between the head portion andthe shoulder or flange portion 14, as shown in Figure 3; and therefore, in assembly, the outer face of the ring 24 will seat against the inner face of end wall of sleeve or housing 13, while the disc 27 will seat against the end of the barrel 10; spring 30 being of length somewhat greater than the distance between the end wall 20 of housing 13 and the end of barrel 10 so that the spring will normally be under partial compression to maintain the relation between the respective elements as shown in Figure 3.

With the sectional ring 24 disposed about the tool-shank, forward of the shoulder or flange 14, it is apparent that withdrawal or escape of the tool 11 from the housing 13 is impossible, as the coil spring 26 maintains the ring-sections in end to end' position. At

the same time, the spring 30 will eXe-rt pressure against the end wall 20 of housing 13 and hence maintain the pins or lugs 15 at the rearward ends of the openings 18, as shown in Figure 1.

The holding means is first placed in the sleeve or housing 13 with the sectional ring 24 resting against the end wall 2O of the housing; the housing is then positioned so slots or grooves 16 are aligned with the pins or radial lugs 15 on the barrel 10. With the barrel immovably held, the housing is then pressed toward the barrel, compressing spring 30 until the pins or lugs 15 reach the hole 17, at which time the housing 13 is given slight rotation so as to move the pins 15 into the opening 18.

Upon releasing the housing 13, the pins 15 will seat at the rear ends of the openings 18, through the action of spring 30, as shown in Figure 1.

The tool 11 may now be inserted by inserting the shank en d 12 through the opening 21 in the end wall 2O of the housing 11; it being understood that the barrel 10 is immovably held in place. By exerting sullicient inward pressure on the outer or head end of the toolV 11, the shoulder or flange 14 will cause ring 24 to be moved toward immovably held disc 27 and hence bring the abutting ends of the ring sections into contact with the tapered or wedge shaped extensions 29.

The inner or rear faces of the ring sections at their ends are preferably slightly beveled as shown at 33 to provide a wedge shaped groove at the meeting ends ofthe ring sections to receive the tips of the wedge members or extensions 29.

Suflicient inward pressure on the tool 11 will cause the wedge extensions 29 to enter between the abutting ends of the sections of ring 24, forcing them apart against the action of spring 26, into the condition shown in Figure 4. Separating the ring-sections as shown will permit the shoulder or flange 14 of the tool 11 to pass through the opening in ring 24 so as to be positioned rearward' of the sectional ring as shown in Figure 3.

Releasing further pressure will allow the spring 30 to force ring 24 and disc 27 apart and consequently allow spring 26 to contract the sectional ring 24 into the tool holding position shown in Figure 3.

lt is apparent that the withdrawal or accidental release of the tool 11 is impossible during normal operations and hence the dangers encountered with present day constructions, by reason of the tools frequently escaping from the barrels during operation, is eliminated.

lVhen it is desired to remove and replace the tool 11, the barrel is immovably held and the housing 13 is forced further onto the barrel. This is made possible by the elongated holes 18. When the pins or lugs 15 reach the ends of the openings 18, opposite to the end Where the pins are shown in Figure 1, the wedge shaped extensions 29 will have forced the ring sections apart as shown in Figure 4,

"' which permits the shoulder or ange 14 of the tool to pass outward through sectional ring 24 and hence to be withdrawn from the housing 13; while removal of the housing is impossible without forcing it inward in the manner just described `to an extent sufficient to bring the pins 15 opposite the forward ends of the holes 17 and then slightly rotating the housing on the barrel so as to have the pins 15 enter holes 17, at which time they will be positioned to pass through the slots or grooves 16 on the inner circumference of the housing.

With our invention, accidentalescape of the tool is impossible and the serious difliculties of present day constructions are entirely eliminated; and while the specific exemplification is the preferred embodiment of the invention, modifications are possible without, however, departing from the spirit of our invention.

What we claim is:

1. Pneumatic tool retaining means comprising, in combination with the air cylinder and a tool provided with a shoulder, a housing secured at the outer end of the cylinder,

' i an expansible member adapted to surround the tool forward of its shoulder and located tool and adapted to expand said member out of holding relation with the tool, and pressure means for normally maintaining the wedge means out of wedging relation with said expansible member.

3. Pneumatic tool retaining means comprising, in combination with the air cylinder and a tool provided with a holding surface intermediate of its ends, a housing slidably secured at the end of the cylinder for receiving the inner end of the tool, an expansible member encircling the tool and normally engaging with the holding surface of the tool and located within the housing, wedge means arranged within the housing and adapted to expand said member out of holding relation with the holding surface of the tool when said housing is forced lengthwise toward the cylinder, and pressure means for normally forcing the housing in a direction away from the cylinder and maintaining the wedge means and expansible member in spaced relation.

4. Pneumatic tool retaining means comprising, in combination with the air cylinder and a tool provided with a holding surface intermediate of its ends, a housing removably secured at the end of the cylinder, retaining means located within the housing intermediate of the housing outer end and the end of the cylinder and involving a split expansible member disposed about the tool and normally in contact with its holding surface, a wedge member within the housing seatable against the end of the cylinder, and pressure means whereby the expansible member and the wedge member are normally maintained in spaced relation.

5. Pneumatic tool retaining means comprising, in combination with the air cylinder and a tool provided with a holding surface on its inner end, a housing having slot and pin connection with the cylinder so as to permit longitudinal movement, retaining means located within the housing and involving a sectional ring disposed about the tool in engagement with the holding surface, means whereby the sectional ring is yieldingly held in place, wedge means seatable against the end of the cylinder and adapted to spread the sectional ring out oftool Vholding engagement, and pressure means between said sectional ring and the wedge means for normally holding the ring and wedge means in spaced relation and to yieldingly hold the housing in position.

t. Pneumatic tool retainin means comprising, in combination with t 1e air cylinder and a tool provided with a holding surface on its inner end, a housing having slot and pin connection with the cylinder so as to permit longitudinal movement, a sectional ring disposed about the tool in engagement with its holding surface, a coil spring about the ring for yieldingly holding the ring sections in position, wedge means disposed within the housing at the end of the cylinder, adapted to spread the ring sectionss against the action of the coil spring, and a spring disposed between the sectional ring and the wedge means whereby the housing is yieldingly held in position.

7. Pneumatic tool retaining means comprising, in combination with the air cylinder and a tool provided with a holding surface on its inner end, a housing adapted to receive the tool and slidingly connected with the cylinder, a sectional ring in the housing disposed about the tool in engagement with its holding surface, a coil spring about the ring for yieldingly holding the ring sections in position, a wedge member seatable against the end of the cylinder and provided with forwardly extendingwedge surfaces aligned with the junctures between the respective .sections of said ring adapted to spread the sectional ring out of holding engagement With the tool, and means disposed 1between the sectional ring and the Wedge member for normally maintaining them in spaced relation and for yieldingly holding the housing in position.

8. Pneumatic tool retaining means comprising, in combination with the air cylinder provided with radially disposed lugs and a tool provided with a holding surface on its inner end, a housing provided With grooves and slots adapted to receive the cylinder lugs for securing the housing on the end of the cylinder While the outer end .of the housing has an opening to receive the tool7 distensibl-e means Within the housing disposed about the tool in engagement with its holding surface and seatahle against the outer end of the housing, Wedgemeans, seatable against the cylinder end Within the housing, adapted to spread the distensihle means out of holding engagement with the tool, and yielding means Within the housing for normally holding the distensible means and Wedge means apart and for yieldingly holding the housing in position.

9. Pneumatictoollretainingmeans comprising, in combination with an air cylinder having radially disposed lugs, a housing. prO,F vided Wth grooves and slots adapted to receive the cylinder lugs for securing the housing on the end of the cylinder While the outer end of the housing has an opening to receive the tool, a'tool provided with a reduced shank having an annular shoulder removed from the head portion of the tool, a sectional ring adapted to encircle the tool shank intermediate of the tool head and said annular shoulder, means for yieldingly maintaining the ring sections in positions in holding relation with the tool shank, Wedge means in the housing having Wedge points coincident with the junctures of the ring sections adapted to force said ring sections apart, and means intermediate of the sectional ring and said Wedge means for yieldingly maintaining the same in separated relation.

' JOHN L. MOR-AN.

ALVIN J. LEE.

esI 

